Method to manufacturing and shape seamless briefs on knitting machines

ABSTRACT

The invention concerns a method for manufacturing on circular knitting machines briefs without seams and having a front and rear parts joined by a infra-leg crutch area and shaped to define two side openings for legs and an opening at level with the waist-encircling portion The garment is manufactured starting from a first circular flat edge that defines a first opening for one leg, knitting a fabric in continuous tubular shape that defines contemporaneously the front part, the rear part and the crutch area of the garment, and finishing to a second circular flat edge that defines a second side opening for the other leg.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The present invention concerns the field of both circular and flat knitting machines, and it refers in particular to a method for manufacturing and shaping briefs on said machines, as well as to a garment resulting from said method.

STATE OF THE TECHNIQUE

Till now, the knitted-fabric briefs have been constructed mainly by starting from a tubular knitted-fabric element, cutting said tubular element suitably in order to shape a blank of the garment, executing then one or more finishing seams in some of its parts and adding, where required, elastics in correspondence of the waist-measure and openings for the legs.

It is, however, evident that the briefs carried out like this, imply knitted-fabric scraps, corresponding waste of yarn, taking again the intermediate blank for sewing and finishing operations, therefore remarkable manpower utilization, considerable time and cost of execution.

OBJECTS OF THE INVENTION

One of the objects of the invention is instead to propose a method for manufacturing briefs directly, completely and without seams on knitting machines.

Another object of the invention is then to propose a knitting method that allows to shape and finish the briefs entirely on the same machine by which they are manufactured and to unload every garment ready-to-wear.

Another object of the invention is to carry out briefs without seams, without material discard and picking-up during processing, therefore with high productivity and lower time and cost.

Said objects are achieved through a method for manufacturing and shaping knitted-fabric briefs, without seams, according to claim 1 in order to obtain a garment in the shape of briefs according to claim 6.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

Anyhow, the invention will be hereafter described more in detail with reference to the enclosed indicative and not limitative drawings, in which:

FIG. 1 is a view in elevation of the waist-measure part of the tubular knitted fabric that makes up the briefs, and

FIG. 2 shows the resulting briefs.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

A garment of the here considered kind comprised, as usual, a body portion that has a front part 11 and a rear part 12 which are joined at level with the infra-leg zone by a crutch area 13 and that are shaped in order to define two opposite openings 14, 15 for legs and a waist-encircling portion 16.

The manufacturing of the said garment can be carried out in any kind of knitted fabric and with the use of needles, for instance, on a cylinder of a multi-feed circular knitting machine, that is known and, as such, does not require a detailed description. Only, it will have to be programmed to execute a preordained sequence of knitting phases.

According to the invention, the garment is manufactured starting from a first opening 14 for leg and ending to a second opening 15 for other leg.

More precisely, through an opportune needle selection, first of all a first double flat edge 17, that defines the first opening 14 for leg and that may incorporate an elastic yarn to give elasticity to the flat edge itself, is manufactured.

After the first flat edge 17, a knitted fabric in continuous circular shape, in other words tubular, that defines the front part 11, the rear part 12 and the crutch area 13 of the garment body, is manufactured. During this knitting phase, at least in the crutch area 13, the fabric is manufactured thickened and strengthened. This can be carried out, for instance, by selecting the needles on a portion of the cylinder of the knitting machine so that said selected needles are to be kept temporarily lowered and excluded from work, while retaining the relevant stitches and while other needles, alternated with the first ones, can knit normally manufacturing more stitches, and bringing then the previously excluded needles into work again.

The crutch area 13 comes out, therefore, without seams and, so strengthened, it acts also as gusset without having to insert it and furthermore helps in shaping the garment body since in the front and rear parts the knitted fabric is obtained by using the needles in the usual way. Moreover, the knitted fabric in the front and rear parts of the body portion, at least in the front one, can be patterned or knitted like lace through an adequate needle selection and for a greater enrichment of the garment.

Still during the knitting of the front and rear parts 11, 12 and of the garment crutch area 13, the knitted fabric that, as said above, is in circular shape, that is tubular, can be cut on the machine along a portion of one generatrix of the tubular knitted fabric itself on the opposite side of the crutch area to form there an opening corresponding to the waist-encircling portion 16. This cutting of the fabric can be carried out with means, as a cutting false needle or another cutting member, which are part of the textile machine equipment and that are managed through a knitting program.

In the portions that are adjacent to the waist-encircling opening 16 defined by the cut effected along such a generatrix, the knitted fabric, if required, can incorporate an additional elastic yarn and be anyhow knitted to carry out directly on the machine an elastic edge 18 of the waist-measure—FIG. 1.

The garment is then completed with a final manufacturing of a second double flat edge 19 defining the second opening 15 for other leg.

So the resulting garment—FIG. 2—is made up of only one integral piece, shaped on the knitting machine, without any seam and with a good wearability since the knitted fabric can be diversified in its various parts, chosen and carried out in order to fit itself on the anatomic figure of the one who wears the garment. 

1. A method for manufacturing with the needles of a knitting machine briefs with a body portion without seams, having a front and rear parts joined by an infra-leg crutch area and shaped to define two side openings for legs and an opening at level with a waist-encircling portion, comprising the steps of selecting the needles to manufacture in succession: a first circular flat edge that defines a first side opening for one leg, a knitted fabric in continuous tubular shape that defines contemporaneously the front part, the rear part and the crutch area of the body portion of the garment, and a second circular flat edge that defines a second side opening for other leg.
 2. The method for manufacturing briefs according to claim 1, in which at least in the crutch area the knitted fabric is manufactured thickened and strengthened compared with the knitted fabric in the front and rear parts of the body portion, shaping correspondingly the garment.
 3. The method for manufacturing briefs according to claim 1, in which during the manufacturing of the front and rear parts and the crutch area, the knitted fabric is cut on the knitting machine along a portion of one generatrix of the tubular knitted fabric on the opposite side of the crutch area to form the opening corresponding to the waist-encircling portion.
 4. The method for manufacturing of briefs according to claim 3, in which in the portions that are adjacent to the opening defined by the cut along the said generatrix, the knitted fabric can incorporate an additional elastic yarn and is knitted to define an elastic edge at level with the waist-encircling portion.
 5. The method for manufacturing of briefs according to claim 1, in which at least at the front part of the garment body portion the knitted fabric is patterned or knitted like lace.
 6. A knitted garment in the shape of briefs manufactured through the method of the preceding claims and comprising a body portion having a front and rear parts joined by a infra-legs crutch area and shaped to define two side openings for legs and an opening at level with a waist-encircling portion, characterized by a first and a second flat edge defining said side openings for the legs, and between said first and second flat edges without interruption a tubular knitted-fabric defining the front and rear parts and the crutch area of the garment.
 7. Knitted garment in the shape of briefs according to claim 6, in which the knitted fabric in the said crutch area is thicker and more compact than in the front and rear parts of the garment body portion.
 8. Knitted garment in the shape of briefs according to claim 6, in which the tubular knitted-fabric that defines the front and rear parts and crutch area of the garment body portion is cut along one generatrix of said tubular knitted fabric opposite the crutch area.
 9. Knitted garment in the shape of briefs according to claim 8, in which the knitted fabric incorporates at least an elastic yam in a portion adjacent said generatrix to be cut to form an edge at level with the garment waist-encircling portion.
 10. The method for manufacturing briefs according to claim 2, in which during the manufacturing of the front and rear parts and the crutch area, the knitted fabric is cut on the knitting machine along a portion of one generatrix of the tubular knitted fabric on the opposite side of the crutch area to form the opening corresponding to the waist-encircling portion.
 11. The method for manufacturing of briefs according to claim 2, in which at least at the front part of the garment body portion the knitted fabric is patterned or knitted like lace.
 12. The method for manufacturing of briefs according to claim 3, in which at least at the front part of the garment body portion the knitted fabric is patterned or knitted like lace.
 13. The method for manufacturing of briefs according to claim 4, in which at least at the front part of the garment body portion the knitted fabric is patterned or knitted like lace.
 14. Knitted garment in the shape of briefs according to claim 7, in which the tubular knitted-fabric that defines the front and rear parts and crutch area of the garment body portion is cut along one generatrix of said tubular knitted fabric opposite the crutch area. 